How many years apart are Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey?
Showing posts with label Jane Austen Throwdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Austen Throwdown. Show all posts
Sunday, November 6
Monday, June 13
Jane Austen Back-to-Back Throwdown
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| Modified image of a Gerald Scharfe illustration for The New Yorker.** |
**Original Illustration, Gerald Scharfe - The New Yorker, Everybody Loves Jane
Monday, May 23
Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice Throwdown
How well do you know your Pride and Prejudice? The following quotes come from characters in the book. Who spoke these words? Extra points if you know the context!
1. If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out. -
a. Elizabeth Bennet b. Charlotte Collins c. Jane Bennet
2. A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment. - a. Elizabeth Bennet b. Miss Bingley c. Mr. Darcy
3. Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion. -
a. Elizabeth Bennet b. Lydia Wickham c. Jane Bennet
Answer Key: Scroll below
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| Pride and Prejudice, 2005 |
a. Elizabeth Bennet b. Charlotte Collins c. Jane Bennet
2. A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment. - a. Elizabeth Bennet b. Miss Bingley c. Mr. Darcy
3. Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion. -
a. Elizabeth Bennet b. Lydia Wickham c. Jane Bennet
Answer Key: Scroll below
Answer Key: 1. Elizabeth Bennet 2. Mr. Darcy 3. Jane Bennet
Sunday, May 8
Jane Austen Photoshop Throwdown
Gentle readers, We all know how photoshopping has made us wary of the veracity of photographs, causing us to ask: Is what we see real? Or not real? Take Kate Middleton, for instance. We all know she has a spectacularly small waist and slim figure. So why did the magazine editors of Grazia feel the need to photoshop her wedding picture? No wonder 21st century women rarely like their own figures.
Suppose editors had felt that Jennifer Ehle and Kate Winslet were too zaftig to play Lizzie and Marianne respectively? How would you have felt if their fine rounded figures had been artificially thinned?
Fair is only fair. Let's reverse the process for Gwynneth's Emma. Heaven only knows how Keira Knightley would look if she had been stretched to a curvier weight.
This week's question asks: What would Jane Austen have said of photoshopped images? Which answer fits your thoughts best? Perhaps you can think of a more appropriate phrase!
Suppose editors had felt that Jennifer Ehle and Kate Winslet were too zaftig to play Lizzie and Marianne respectively? How would you have felt if their fine rounded figures had been artificially thinned?
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| Lizzie loses weight in front of our eyes, from right to left. |
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| Beautiful Kate stretched and thinned (on the right). |
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| Gwynnie with full arms and cheeks |
Sunday, April 3
Jane Austen Fashion Throwdown
It's April! Bonnet time. Which of the two 1816 bonnets would you choose to wear on a fine spring day? They were both featured in La Belle Assemblée.
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| Bonnet A |
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| Bonnet B. |
Saturday, March 26
Jane Austen Zombie Throwdown
After watching this trailer, would you read Dreadfully Ever After, which is considered the best of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy? Vote now.
Sunday, March 20
Jane Austen Throwdown
Today's question is simple and in honor of Sense and Sensibility's 200 years of publication: Will Marianne Dashwood ever grow up? Does Marianne mature with age and temper her sensibilities? Or does she remain largely the same despite the passing years, and become a thorn in Colonel Brandon's side?
No, Marianne will essentially stay the same. People might grow older, but their personalities don't change all that much. She will remain high strung and selfish all her life. Poor Colonel Brandon will have a handful to deal with throughout his marriage.
Yes, Marianne will mature. She is only seventeen and highly romantic, as the young tend to be. Her marriage to Colonel Brandon will temper her, and she is a good It is unrealistic to expect that people are exactly the same at 34 as they are at 17. Colonel Brandon will not be like Mr. Bennet, abandoning his wife to her silliness, but will take an active part in her growing up.
I can't decide. Marianne has many good qualities - that of loyalty to her family, for example - but she loves too much and her emotions get the better of her. The truth is somewhere in the middle. There will be times when she acts her age, but she will always be histrionic.
Yes, Marianne will mature. She is only seventeen and highly romantic, as the young tend to be. Her marriage to Colonel Brandon will temper her, and she is a good It is unrealistic to expect that people are exactly the same at 34 as they are at 17. Colonel Brandon will not be like Mr. Bennet, abandoning his wife to her silliness, but will take an active part in her growing up.
Sunday, March 13
Jane Austen Gift Throwdown: Mr. Darcy
A miracle has happened, and you have been given an opportunity to attend Mr. Darcy's 40th birthday party. You have also just won the lottery. What present would you give him from the 21st century, one that would please both you AND him?
A lifetime gym membership. Imagine our Mr. Darcy in fitness shorts while body building. Be still my beating heart. You could hold his towel and water bottle whilst he goes about the business of keeping his fine musculature in shape. Better yet, you could keep in shape by his side. You'll also have plenty of lottery winnings left over to treat him to a massage or two.
An electronic Apple package consisting of a Macbook Pro, iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Imagine if Mr. Darcy was wired. You could text, tweet, blog, email, see or talk to him any time, any place, anywhere, plus share music, movies, podcasts and videos. Then imagine Mr. Darcy just a touch and nano seconds away. *Sigh.*
The 2011 Bugatti Veyron supercar: At £1.6 million per car, this rare gift would be most fitting for our discerning Mr. Darcy. Imagine how grateful he would be to receive a vehicle that has a 1,200bhp engine capable of accelerating from 0 to 62mph in just 2.5 seconds and can sprint all the way to 268mph. Why he could arrive at your doorstep zippity zip and carry you off on a date filled with smoldering looks. Unfortunately, this unique gift will take up all your lottery winnings and up to a year to deliver.
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| Matthew Macfadyen |
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| Colin Firth |
The 2011 Bugatti Veyron supercar: At £1.6 million per car, this rare gift would be most fitting for our discerning Mr. Darcy. Imagine how grateful he would be to receive a vehicle that has a 1,200bhp engine capable of accelerating from 0 to 62mph in just 2.5 seconds and can sprint all the way to 268mph. Why he could arrive at your doorstep zippity zip and carry you off on a date filled with smoldering looks. Unfortunately, this unique gift will take up all your lottery winnings and up to a year to deliver.
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| Rare 2011 Bugatti Veyron supercar |
Sunday, February 13
Jane Austen Throwdown: Dances
Jane Austen loved to dance, and she included many dancing scenes in her novels. In which of her gatherings would you have liked to dance?
The Meryton Assembly: Lizzy's first impression of Darcy wasn't the best, but Jane fell in love with Bingley there and the Bennet ladies enjoyed themselves immensely in this relaxed and public gathering.
The Netherfield Ball: Lizzy finally danced with Darcy, but her family made fools of themselves. The private setting must have been splendid and the supper ball truly delicious.
The Ball at the Crown Inn: Emma and Frank Churchill arranged this ball, where Emma discovers just what a knight Mr. Knightley is when he comes to the rescue of her friend, Harriet. The Crown Inn offered a ball room for such assemblies, and I am sure that Emma spared no expense and overlooked no details to make the event a success.
Fanny's Coming Out Ball: Not only did Fanny price receive two necklaces for the amber cross that her brother William gave her, but she was the star of the night. Mansfield Park must have been a most beautiful setting for this special evening.
The Lower and Upper Assembly Rooms in Bath: After Catherine Morland is introduced to Henry Tilney, his sister Eleanor, and the Thorpes, she can dance to her heart's delight in impressive rooms designed for social gatherings.
(I have not included the dance at the Musgroves, where Anne Elliot played the pianoforte and watched her Captain Wentworth flirt with the Musgrove sisters, or the party the Dashwood sisters attended with Lady Middleton in London, where Marianne was snubbed by Willoughby. Both scenes were too painful for words.)
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| Bingley and Jane at the Meryton Ball, P&P 2005 |
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| Netherfield Ball, P&P 1995 |
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| Emma having fun at the Crown Inn, Emma 2009 |
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| Fanny dances with Henry, Mansfield Park, 1999 |
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| Catherine speaks to Henry Tilney in the lower rooms |
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| Dancers, Rowlandson. 1799 |
Sunday, January 30
Jane Austen Throwdown: Mrs. Ferrars' Parenting Style
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| Mrs. Ferrars, Jean Marsh |
Which sibling was most affected by Mrs. Ferrar's motherly style?
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| Fanny, Claire Skinner |
As snobbish as her mother, Mrs. Dashwood thinks only of her own consequence and comfort. She convinces her husband to disregard his promise to his dying father of making sure his step family is financially secure, and is manipulative and cruel in her actions towards the Dashwood women after Mr. Dashwood's death. Fanny echoes her mother's sentiments about Edward's choices in life, and favors Robert, Meanspirited, self-absorbed, and myopic about her own fortune, this bitter nut did not fall far from the matriarchal tree.
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| Edward, Dan Stevens |
As eldest son, Edward is commanded to do his mother's bidding. He felt that had he been given some employment and something useful to do in his earlier years, his 18-year-old self would not have had the time to pursue his romantic inclinations towards Lucy Steele, and that he would have soon gotten over his tendre towards this most unsuitable woman. He is disinherited by his mother when she learns about his engagement to Lucy, and must make his own way in the world on a barely livable income, watching his brother reap the financial rewards that were his by right. Imagine what good deeds Edward and his thrifty Elinor might have accomplished had his mother approved of his marriage to a more worthy woman than Lucy ( which she failed to see) and provided him with a larger income.
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| Robert, Leo Bill |
Robert, an effete snob if ever there was one, is as mean-spirited as his sister. Although he is recipient of his brother's fortune, he lack of empathy for Edward's situation. He also lacks his sister Fanny's instinct for self-preservation, and makes the mistake of marrying Lucy Steele. After sitting in his mother's proverbial doghouse for a while, he and Lucy are welcomed back with open arms and her full support. But Lucy is as calculating and manipulative as ever and makes his life hell, so that soon all the couple does is quarrel. In Robert's case, beware what you wish for.
Sunday, January 23
Jane Austen Throwdown
We are in the throes of winter. During the Regency period, people moved around on the snow in sleds/sleighs, horse-drawn sleighs, or on skates. Which activity would you prefer?
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| Skating Lovers, 1800, After Adam Buck |
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| A. d'Arnaud, The Sleigh. 1776. Image @Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide |
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| Horse-drawn sleigh. Image @Super Stock |
Sunday, December 19
Jane Austen Throwdown: Meeting Jane Austen
Because so little is known about Jane Austen's life compared to other great authors, much information about her life and character remains a mystery. A wish has been granted to you, and you have been given one opportunity to meet Jane. During which stage of her life would you choose to meet her?
Juvenilia stage
Jane was a precocious young girl, always telling stories, writing them down, and reading them to her family. She loved her brothers and sister, who amused themselves by putting on plays and charades. Bright and sparkling, she loved her life in Steventon Rectory and had looked forward to a promising future, which included meeting the right man and starting her own family. She wrote her juvenilia, which included Love and Freindship and a History of England, a cheeky account of English monarchs. Would you like to meet this precocious and talented young lady?
Young womanhood
Jane loved to walk and dance and spend time with her friends. She was tall, graceful, and outgoing, and was reckoned to be a pretty, flirtatious girl by those who knew her. She even had a two-week summer romance with a dashing young Irishman named Tom Lefroy. During this period, Jane never stopped writing, producing Susan (Northanger Abbey), First Impressions (Pride and Prejudice) and Sense and Sensibility. Would you like to meet this promising and engaging young woman?
Mysterious middle years
After moving to Bath, Jane's life becomes largely a mystery. She began The Watsons , which remains a fragment, and perhaps rewrote her first three novels. Susan was also sold during this period of her life, but this book languished on the shelves and would not be published after her death. During this time her father died and her financial circumstances were severely reduced. Would you like to learn more about these lost years and why Jane's creative juices seemingly stopped?
Productive last years
When Jane and her family moved into Chawton Cottage, her creativity reemerged. During this time she published Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, and wrote Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. She had taken to wearing caps and had become a confirmed spinster, but her wit was as lively as ever, and she spun glorious tales for her nieces and nephews, none of which have survived. Jane's books began to be noticed by the public, and she was in full command of her writing talent when illness felled her. As she struggled with her health, she wrote about the more ridiculous side of hypochondria in the fragment of her last novel, Sanditon. Would you like to meet Jane while she lived in Chawton Cottage?
Jane was a precocious young girl, always telling stories, writing them down, and reading them to her family. She loved her brothers and sister, who amused themselves by putting on plays and charades. Bright and sparkling, she loved her life in Steventon Rectory and had looked forward to a promising future, which included meeting the right man and starting her own family. She wrote her juvenilia, which included Love and Freindship and a History of England, a cheeky account of English monarchs. Would you like to meet this precocious and talented young lady?
Jane loved to walk and dance and spend time with her friends. She was tall, graceful, and outgoing, and was reckoned to be a pretty, flirtatious girl by those who knew her. She even had a two-week summer romance with a dashing young Irishman named Tom Lefroy. During this period, Jane never stopped writing, producing Susan (Northanger Abbey), First Impressions (Pride and Prejudice) and Sense and Sensibility. Would you like to meet this promising and engaging young woman?
After moving to Bath, Jane's life becomes largely a mystery. She began The Watsons , which remains a fragment, and perhaps rewrote her first three novels. Susan was also sold during this period of her life, but this book languished on the shelves and would not be published after her death. During this time her father died and her financial circumstances were severely reduced. Would you like to learn more about these lost years and why Jane's creative juices seemingly stopped?
When Jane and her family moved into Chawton Cottage, her creativity reemerged. During this time she published Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, and wrote Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. She had taken to wearing caps and had become a confirmed spinster, but her wit was as lively as ever, and she spun glorious tales for her nieces and nephews, none of which have survived. Jane's books began to be noticed by the public, and she was in full command of her writing talent when illness felled her. As she struggled with her health, she wrote about the more ridiculous side of hypochondria in the fragment of her last novel, Sanditon. Would you like to meet Jane while she lived in Chawton Cottage?
Sunday, December 12
Jane Austen Duel
This week's post asks you to examine the weapon Willoughby would have preferred when Colonel Brandon challenged him to a duel. The practice was already out of favor when Jane Austen wrote Sense and Sensibility, and outlawed in England in 1840. Colonel Brandon was quite cryptic in his description of the event to Elinor:
And so we ask you, which weapons do you think Willoughby chose? Sword or pistol? Did he want closeness during the fight, or distance?
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| Pistols being readied |
... when he returned to town, which was within a fortnight after myself, we met by appointment, he to defend, I to punish his conduct. We returned unwounded, and the meeting, therefore, never got abroad."
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| Duels were fought in isolated areas at the break of dawn |
Sunday, November 28
Jane Austen Throwdown: The Holiday Table
The holiday season is upon us. From now through New Year's we will all be faced with attending one fattening dinner gathering after another. Which meats familiar in Jane Austen's time would you be willing to cook, serve, or eat? You may choose as many as apply. Or leave a comment if your choice is not listed.
Sunday, November 21
Jane Austen Entertainment Throwdown
Which casual entertainment described in Jane Austen's novels would interest you most?
Card games, with food and drink and oonvivial company.
A musicale, with local musicians and singers from among the group.
Afternoon tea or dinner with friends
A carriage outing to a point of interest.
Garden party with lawn games.
An afternoon walk with friends.
Card games, with food and drink and oonvivial company.
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| Card Party, Pride and Prejudice 1980 |
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| Emma (2009) plays piano at the Coles |
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| At the Woodhouse's for dinner |
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| Box Hill, Emma |
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| Lawn bowling |
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| Walking along the Cobb at Lyme Regis, Persuasion 1995 |
Sunday, October 17
Jane Austen Throwdown: Ministers
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| "Let deceitful lips be made dumb.." Mr. Elton, Emma, 2010 |
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| David Bamber as Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice 1995 |
Sunday, September 19
Jane Austen Throwdown
Earlier this month, Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy) and Hugh Grant (Edward Ferrars) turned 50 within one day of each other. Can you believe it? Give me some of the pickling juices these men are drinking! In celebration of this happy occasion, we ask you to vote for your favorite films in which these men played leading roles. You may only choose one film per actor. After you have voted for Hugh Grant scroll down to vote for your favorite Colin Firth film.
Hugh Grant
Colin Firth
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| Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars |
Hugh Grant
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| Colin Firth as Mr.Darcy |
Sunday, September 12
Jane Austen Throwdown: How Do You Compare to an Accomplished Regency Lady?
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| Mr. Elton admires Emma's pale drawing |
"A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word [of an accomplished lady]; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."
"All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."- Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice
As Mr. Darcy pointed out, single young ladies had to learn many accomplishments during Jane Austen's day. Which of the following skills have you mastered? Pick as many as apply. (Note: the code has been fixed. I apologize for the inconvenience to those who already voted.)
- If you clicked 15 or more of the above, you would even satisfy Mr. Darcy's strict definition of the minimum skills a lady needs to earn the title of "accomplished".
- If you clicked 10 or more, Mr. Bingley would be wholly satisfied with your ladylike skills.
- If you clicked 5 or more, you are probably a tomboy and will fit in very comfortably with Catherine Morland and her set.
- Fewer than five? Oh, dear. But there is hope for you yet. Remember, Regency ladies learned these skills superficially at Mrs. Goddard's school, for example, or from their governesses. They couldn't figure out how to use an iPad if they tried.
Sunday, August 15
Jane Austen Throwdown
The settings that Jane Austen chose for her characters were important to her plot. Much of Northanger Abbey was set in Bath, Elizabeth and the Gardiners traveled to Derbyshire where Pemberley lay, Lydia got into trouble in Brighton, and Box Hill, where Emma was so rude to Miss Bates, is set in Surrey.
We now ask you to choose two of your favorite Jane Austen locations. Bath or London? Steventon Rectory or Chawton Cottage?
Two of Your Favorite Jane Austen Locations
Bath, an ancient city, whose Roman Baths and drinking waters attracted rich and poor alike. It was said that more doctors and apothecaries were licensed in Bath than any other city in Great Britain.
London, the largest city in Europe in Jane's day. She would visit her brother, Henry, who lived in town and acted as her agent. Jane most particularly liked London's parks and gardens, and would frequent the shops, bringing back items for her family.
Steventon Rectory. Jane spent most of her childhood in Steventon Rectory. Here is where she learned to write, and where her close-knit family nurtured her talent. When she learned that her parents had made plans to move to Bath and from a home she loved, Jane fainted.
Chawton Cottage was refurbished by Jane's rich brother Edward, who invited her, Cassandra, and Mrs. Austen to live there. Jane spent her most productive writing years during her time in Chawton, revising Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Northanger Abbey, and writing Emma, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park. She began Sanditon there, completing 11 chapters before succumbing to her fatal illness.
Sunday, July 11
Jane Austen Marriage Throwdown
One can almost count the contented marriages in Jane Austen's novels on one hand. The Gardiners from Pride and Prejudice and Admiral and Mrs. Croft from Persuasion immediately come to mind. Of the heroines and heroes of her novels, which couple stands the best chance for a happy marriage?
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